Entrance platform for vaults and the like



' Oct. 5 ,1926. 1,601,822

c. J. GOEBEL ET AL ENTRANCE PLATFORM FOR VAULTS AND THE LIKE Filed July 16, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 WT Mum.

Oct. 5 1926.

C. J. GOEBEL ET AL ENTRANCE PLATFORM FOR VAULTS AND THE LIKE Filed July 18, 19 23 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y Oct. 5 1926.

' 1,601,822 C. J. GOEBEL ET AL ENTRANCE PLATFORM FOR mums AND THE LIKE Filed July 16. 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 5 1926.

0. J GOEBEL ET AL ENTRANCE PLATFORM FOR VAULTS AND THE LIKE Filed July 16, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 QN YQRHL k iii-NW km.

Qw Rn Q A TTORNE Y INVENTOR I I 555 KW illllll 2 l RN V w Mm A iatented Get. 5, 1926.

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CLAYTON J. GOEBEL AND GUSTAVE M. GOLDSMITH, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE IEOSLEfv SAFE C'GliIEAN'j, OF HAMILTON, 01-110, .51. COREQRA-TION OIE NEW YORK.

ENTRANCE ELATFOBM FOR VAULTS-AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July. 16,

This invention relates to entrance platforms for vaults and the like, and more particularly relates to platforms adapted to be raised and lowered.

Tn connection with vaults and the like having raised. door sills, it is customary to provide entrance platforms which may be lowered to permit of the opening of the Vault door and raised to the level of the door sill to provide a level entrance into the vault. The principal. aim of our invention is to provide an improved entrance platform of the above mentioned character. More specifically,.our objects include the provision of improved mechanism for raising and lowering the platform. A further object of our invention is to provide a platform of the character referred to, which in part serves as a door-check to hold the door open and against accidental closing. Another object of our invention is to proide a platform of'the character referred to,

and which may he raised and lowered with a minimum of power. Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Briefly stated, our invention comprises the provision of a two-part platform adapted to be raised or lowered as a unit when the door is closed. When the door is open, however, one portion of the platform is adapted to raise to the level of the raised door sill of the vault to provide a level entrance through the doorway, while an other portion of the platform rises only to the bottom of the door and against which this portion of the platform presses tohold the door against being closed until the platform has been lowered. We provide mechanism operable from a single member, such as a. hand or footlever, or 'motor, for simultaneously operating both portions of the platform into the various desired positions. The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In order that clearer understanding of our invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and il- 1923. SeriabNomGSlflOS.

lustrating'one possible embodiment of our invention. Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan View of a platform embodying our invention, looking down from above, and shown in'combination with axfront wall of a vault and 'its'door, the'vault Wall being shown in sectionandthe door being closed;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, except 5 is a. fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion oft-he platform and operating mechanism, and is taken on the line 55 of Fig.3; Fig.6 is a view similar to Fig. i, but shows the platform iii-lowered position; Fig. 7 is similar'to Fig. 4, except it shows one part of the platformin fully raised position and'another portion raised only sufficiently to abut against the bottom of the opened door of the vault. Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, for purposes of illustration there is shown a wall 1 of a vault having a doorway 2 and a door 8 supported on the vault wall by means of hinge mechanisnr l of the crane type. The vault doorway has a raised sill 5 from which the jamb inclines with the usual stepped forma-' tion. The -main floor level outside of the vault'is designated -6 and is usually level with the vault sill 5. The main floor 6 is cutaway-sufficiently to permit the door 3 to swing open and closed. The platform embodying our invention occupies this cutaway portion of the main floor, and in the present instance is shown to be somewhat.

semi-circular in form. The platform comprises two parts or sections, one of which, 7 is shaped to be at least the size'of the door in its vertical projection and is so located that it will bebeneath-the ,door in line therewith when the door is fully open. otherpart-of the platform, which is the remainder,-is designated'8.

The

beneath the section Beneath the platform, and upon a suitable foundation, such as 9, is placed suit-- able supporting structure for the platform operating mechanism. As shown, such supporting structure may comprise a plurality of I-beams, such as 10, which support other I-beams, such as 11, the operating mechanism being supported directly on the beams 11.

Rotatably supported in suitable bearings, such as 12, secured to beams 11, are shafts 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, the latter two extending beneath the section 7 of the platform and the other shafts being positioned of the platform. At suitable points on the shafts 13 and 14 are secured bell crank levers having upwardly of pins 24.

extending arms 19 which carry rollers 20 in bifurcated ends, the levers also having downwardly extending arms 21 which also have bifurcated ends and straddle and are pivotally connected to a link 23, as by means Shafts 15 and 16 are similarly keyed, or otherwise attached, to hell crank levers which have upwardly extending arms 25 which carry rollers at their upper ends, depending arms 27 of these levers being ifurcated and being pivotally pinned, as at 28, to a link 29. Shaft 14 also carries rigidly a segment gear 30 which is in constant mesh with a complementary segment gear 31 which is rigidly carried on the shaft 15. Thus it will be seen that rotation of shafts 13 and 14 will effect reverse rotation of shafts 15 and 16. Shafts 17 and 18 have keyed, or have otherwise rigidly secured to them, bell crank levers which have upwardly extending arms 32 provided with rollers 33 at their upper ends, and have depending arms 34 which are pivotally pinned, as at 35, to a link 36. A flexible cable 37 is fastened to adjacent ends of the links 36 and 23. Rollers 26 and 33 are disposed against the under surface of the platform, raising the platform by pressing upwardly thereagainst, and when lowered from it, permitting the platform to descend by its own weight. The platform is guided in its upward and downward movement by means of posts 38 which are secured to the under side of the platform and are slidingly guided in suitable brackets 39 carried on suitably located I-beams 11. To render the operation of raising and lowering the platform easier, counterbalance weights, such as 40, are suspended from the several shafts, such as 14, 15, 17 and 18, by means of arms, such as 41, which are rigidly keyed or otherwise fastened to these shafts. The mechanism is preferably operable from one side of the platform, and to this end a portion of the floor 6 is cut away, as at 42. In this recess is pivoted a lever 43, as by being mounted on a shaft or pin 44 which is carried in a bracket bearing 45, the bracket 45 being mounted on a suitable support, such as 46. The lower end of lever 43 may be bifurcated, and may be pivotally secured, as by pin 47, to the extended end 48 of link 23. The upper end of lever 43 may be provided with a suitable recess, such as 49, adapted to receive an end of a suitable lever bar, whereby lever 43 may be oscillated manually. If desired, a cover plate 50 may be provided to cover recess 42 in the floor 6. This cover plate may be provided with a perforation 51 to permit of its easy removal when it is desired to actuate lever 43 to raise or lower the platform.

The operation of effecting the various adjustments of the platform proceeds as follows /Vhen the vault door is closed and the platform is in its raised position, the platform and its operating mechanism will be in the positions illustrated in Fig. 4. Now, when it is desired to open the door, lever 43 is oscillated from the position shown in Fig 4 to the position shown in Fig. 6. This movement of lever 43 pulls link 23 to the right, and on account of its connection, by means of cable 37, to link 36, pulls link 36 to the right, and also on account of the connection between segment gears 30 and 31, link 29 will also be moved to the right. The movement of the links thus effected, and the rotation of the various rotatable shafts occurring with the movement of links 23, 29 and 36, will lower all the rollers 20, 26 and 33 into the position shown in Fig. 6. The platform will follow these rollers downward by reason of its weight. With the platform in this position, the door may now be opened, since both sections of the platform have been lowered a sufficient distance to give free clearance for the door. With the door open, lever 43 is now oscillated back into original position, as shown in Fig. 7. This movement causes links 23 and 29 to move to the left and brings rollers 20 and 26 upwardly, and thus raises the section 8 of the platform until it is level with the floor 6. Rollers 33 are also urged to move upwardly by reason of the action of the counter-balance weights 40 attached to shafts 17 and 18, but the upward movement of this portion 8 of the platform is arrested by the bottom edge of the door, against which portion 8 of the platform is pressed, and thus Serves as an effective door check to prevent the door from being moved in closing direction. When it is desired to close the vault, the lever 43 is oscillated back into the position shown in Fig. 6. Since this operation lowers both sections of the platform from the positions shown in Fig 7 the door is now clear of the platform and may be swung into closed position. After the door is closed, by oscillating lever 43 into the position shown in Fig. 4, both sections of the platform are raised to the level of the floor 6.

In combination with the platform described there may be provided an auxiliary or supplemental plate or platform which is adapted to be removably placed across the door amb, bridging the space between the platform and the door sill 5. The platform may comprise a central section, such as 52, and side pieces, such as 53, hinged or otherwise secured to the sides of portion 52, so as to more completely extend across the width of the door jamb and prevent a person from stepping or slipping downwardly below the platform level.

It is to be understood that our invention is not limited in its application to vaults, but applies generally to platforms adapted to be raised and lowered, and to the operating mechanism for such platforms It is also to be understood that the platform need not necessarily be circular in shape, but may be of any shape desired or suitable. Moreover, as many changes could be made in the above construction and as many widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof. it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. For instance, a motor attachment, or foot plates with push buttons, or other means may be used instead of the hand lever as the operable power member or means for raising and lowering the platform. Such attach ments are well known in the art as being adapted for interchangeable. use, as will be readily understood by persons skilled in the art.

What we claim is 1. in a device of the character described, in combination, a platform, operable mechanism for raising said platform and for allowing said platform to lower, and including operable means for operating said mechanism, said mechanism comprising two systems of bell crank levers, and a gear connection between said two systems whereby said systems are operable simultaneously in mutually opposite directions during the raising and lowering of said platform.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a system of supporting members, horizontal shafts rotatably supported on said members, levers rigidly secured to said shafts and having upwardly extending arms, platform supported on said arms,

mechanism for rotating said shafts to raise and lower said arms whereby said platform correspondingly raised and lowered, and neans, comprising meshing gears secured r spectively on two of said shafts, for causii the arms secured thereto to operate in opposite directions with opposed side thrust engagement with said platform.

3. The combination with a doorway and a door opening outwardly therefrom, of a platform comprising two separate and independent fioor portions mounted to rise and descend sin'iultaneously, one portion being opposite the doorway and the other portion being situated beneath the door when in open position.

at. The combination with a doorwayand a door opening outwardly therefrom, of a platform comprising two separate and independent floor portions mounted to rise and descend simultaneously, one portion being opposite the doorway and the other portion being situated beneath the door when in open position, and means for raising and lowering said floor portions simultaneously.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a platform comprising two independent parts laterally adjacent each other, and mechanism for raising said two parts and for permitting said parts to lower, said mechanism permitting the raising of said parts to mutually different elevations.

.6. In a device of the character described, in combination, a platform comprising two independent parts laterally adjacent each other, and mechanism adapted normally to raise said two parts simultaneously to the same elevation, but adapted to raise one of said parts to a higher elevation than the other when upward movement of said other part is obstructed.

7. The combination with a vault having a door, of a platform adjacent said wall and comprising two portions, one of which portions being located in the vertical projection of the vault door when open, and mechanism for pressing said platform portion against the bottom edge of said door when open, whereby said door is checked against closing.

8. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevating platform comprising two portions, elevating and lowering mechanism, respectively individual to each platform portion, a mechanism operating member common to said elevating and lowering mechanisms, and a flexible connection between said elevating and lowering mechanisms, whereby, by operating said common operating member both portions of said platform, when unobstructed, may be elevated or lowered simultaneously to the same elevations, and when upward movement of one platform portion is obstructed the unobstructed platform portion may be elevated higher than the said obstructed portion.

9. The combination with a vault having a door, and a raised door sill of a platform adjacent there-to, said platform comprising two portions, and operable; mechanism for lowering both portions of said platform to permit the vault door to be opened, for raising one portion of said platform to the level of the door sill while raising the other portion of the platform against the lower edge of said door when open, for lowering both said platform portions from said positions to permit said door to be closed, and for raising both said platform portions to the level of the door sill when the door is closed.

10. The combination with a vault having a door, and a raised door sill, of a platform adjacent thereto, said platform comprising two portions, operable mechanism for lowering both portions of said platform to permit the vault door to be opened, for raising one portion of said platform to the level of the door sill while raising the other portion of the platform against the lower edge of said door when open, for lowering both said platfornr portions from said positions to permit said door to be closed, and for raising both said platform portions to the level of the door sill when the door is closed, and a single operable member from which said mechanism may be operated.

11. The combination with a vault having said platform portions from said positions to permit said door to be closed, and for raising both said platform portions to the level of the door sill when the door is closed, an operable power member from which said mechanism may be operated, and counterweights, counterbalancing the weight of said platform and connected to said mechanism,

whereby the operation of said operable power mem er and of said mechanism operable from said member is rendered easy.

This specification signed this 28th day of June, 1923.

onsravn M. GOLDSMITH. CLA TON J. GOEBEL, 

